This application claims the priority of German Application No. 103 29 013.3 filed Jun. 27, 2003, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a motor vehicle having an electric seat adjuster for a seat and having an occupant protection system comprising a belt assigned to the seat, which, when buckled, restrains the occupant in the event of a vehicle compact.
From German Patent Document DE 39 32 417 A1, a restraint system for a motor vehicle is known which has a seat belt and an air bag. By means of a switching element expediently arranged in the seat belt buckle, a first output signal is emitted when the seat belt is buckled and a second output signal is emitted when the seat belt is not buckled. When the seat belt is not buckled, a time-delayed triggering of the air bag takes place. The extent of the delay depends on the respective sitting position of the occupant. For sensing the sitting position, the seat equipped with an electric seat adjusting device is also provided with a memory which records the sitting position.
In addition, German Patent Document DE 199 25 180 C1 describes a motor vehicle with a seat adjusting device having a power-operated adjusting drive. A memory unit is provided for storing defined sitting positions which, when the memory function is triggered, can be reached automatically by means of the adjusting drive.
It is now an object of the invention to provide a vehicle with an optimal occupant protection and comfort.
This object is achieved according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention by a motor vehicle comprising an electric seat adjuster for a seat, an occupant protection system comprising a belt assigned to the seat, which belt, in a buckled condition, restrains an occupant in an event of a vehicle impact, wherein as a function of the buckling condition of the belt, an adjusting range of the seat adjuster is limited to a narrow adjusting range if the belt is not buckled and is limited to a wider adjusting range if the belt is buckled.
According to the invention, as a function of the buckling condition of the belt of the occupant protection system, the adjusting range of the electric seat adjuster of the seat is limited to a narrow adjusting range when the belt is not buckled, and to a wide adjusting range when the belt is buckled. Among other factors, the requirement is thereby taken into account that the obligation to wear a seat belt does not exist in some countries. Thus, for a maximal protection, the adjusting range of the seat would have to be limited to such a narrow range that a good protective effect of the occupant protection system in the maximally rearward position of the seat is ensured also for an occupant not wearing a seat belt. By means of the solution according to the invention, comfort is increased for the occupants who are wearing a seat belt. In comparison to occupants who are not wearing seat belts, they have a larger variation range of sitting positions, in order to make a drive as comfortable as possible.
In a further development according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the seat is automatically moved into a position in the narrow adjusting range if, at the start of the motor vehicle, the belt is not buckled and the seat is adjusted in a position outside the narrow adjusting range. As a result, it is ensured that, for an occupant who is not buckled in at the start of a drive, the seat is moved into the narrow adjusting range already before or during the start of the drive. Since, specifically when the vehicle is entered, the buckling of the seat belt may be forgotten or intentionally not take place, the seat can in this case be moved into the narrow adjusting range advantageous for traffic safety as early as at the start of the drive. Different points in time can be defined as the start of the motor vehicle, such as a communication start of an access authorization system, an inserted ignition key, different ignition key positions, an ignition start or a point in time shortly after the ignition of the motor vehicle has taken place.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is provided that, if the belt is unbuckled during the drive and thus the buckling condition changes from “belt is buckled” to “belt is not buckled”, the seat is automatically moved from a position outside the narrow adjusting range into a position within the narrow adjusting range. As a result, a situation is taken into account in which an occupant takes off the seat belt during the drive. In this case, the moving of the seat can take place so slowly that it has no disturbing effect on the occupant, especially on an occupant sitting at the steering wheel. In addition, the movement could be acoustically, haptically or visually indicated to the occupant, so that the latter can consciously prepare himself for the moving of the seat.
As an alternative or in addition to an automatic movement of the seat into a position within the narrow adjusting range, a warning signal may be provided which indicates to the occupant that the sitting position is outside the narrow adjusting range.
Additional advantageous further developments of the invention are described herein and in the claims.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.